What may have caused it

• Strain of muscles of the back e.g. in people who lift heavy loads
• Sprain of ligaments of the back in people who sit in abnormal position for long or who lift heavy loads
• Long distance driving
• Trauma to the back
• Distortion in the arrangement of bones of the back
• Infections
• Old age
• Obesity

What you can do

• Bed rest, on firm flat surface
• Lifestyle modification: reduce your weight, avoid smoking
• Local massage with topical analgesics
• Use painkillers e.g. ibuprofen (not suitable for everyone, so ask your doctor)
• Back exercise: stretch your back forward, backward and side to side. Get across to a physiotherapist for relevant exercise.
• Place warm soaks on the back

To prevent recurrence

• Maintain an erect posture, walk straight
• Sleep on firm flat surface
• Do regular exercises
• Assume normal sitting posture; sit on a chair with firm back rest and ensure your feet lay flat on the ground
• To lift a load from the ground, bend your knees into a squatting position, rise from that position after grabbing the load, with your back erect
• Avoid smoking.